Heavy breathing.
He poked his head out, eyes darting back and forth. Satisfied, he let out a sigh of relief and slouched back.
"I've found you, mother______."
Suddenly, two hands shot out of the darkness.
They made contact with Eric's knee caps.
Eric screamed. Patrick scampered away, giggling.
RRINNNNGGGGG!
Groaning, Eric crawled out of his hiding place. Glancing at his watch, he made his way out of the computer lab. People were pouring out of the classroom, allowing him to blend in with the crowd. He weaved through the countless bodies, trying not to be seen.
Making sure he wasn't being followed, he entered the boys bathroom. He found the big stall unlocked. He look at the ground. A single piece of toilet paper was there. The signal he thought. He quickly opened the door and dashed in.
"Well well well, isn't it Ol' Eric!" Keeron cried.
Eric sighed. "Couldn't we have picked a different place?"
Keeron shook his head. "Can't," he said. "I'm still on the run, and this was the most secure place."
Eric sighed. "Alright. So, what do we do?"
Keeron shrugged. "Your knee problem changes everything. Makes you vulnerable to anyone, and you're scared of it. We might need a change of plans. We're calling in VooDoo."
"The wildcard?" Eric groaned. "You know he's inexperienced, and he's new to this entire operation."
"Desperate times call for desperate measures," Keeron whispered gravely. "You wouldn't believe the other ideas Srish was coming up with. This was the best option."
"ToTake is still with us?"
"For now, yes. Like everyone else, he's heard about your... uhh... knee situation. He's still onboard, even with the increasing risks."
Eric nodded. "That's it?"
"That's it. Avoid any conflicts, and stay safe. We can't lose you with it coming in 3 days."
"Alright."
They heard footsteps. They froze, sweat dripping down their faces.
A pause.
"Ha! Gay!"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Itamar walked briskly. Gautom was striding beside him.
"You do know what this means, right?" whispered Itamar.
"Of course I do," grunted Gautom. "I forgot it was this close."
"5 days! We had 5 days to prepare for this day!"
"Honestly, Itamar, go ____ a turtle. You're not helping."
Itamar checked his watch. He choked.
"It's already 11:06. We don't have any time."
Gautom growled. "You think I don't know that? We'll just have to stick to the plan for now. We only have about 5 minutes. Have all the variables been placed?"
Itamar looked at his sheet. "Yes, all but the Boot-"
"That one doesn't matter."
"Then we're all set."
Gautom paced back and forth. "We're only gonna get one shot at this, and this is our last year too. We're gonna make it count."
Itamar nodded.
Gautom stopped. "Alright, lets have a rundown: the ra-"
Crackle.
"Attention students and staff, may I have your attention please. The students in 8th grade who are running in the Turkey Trot should now report to the small gym."
Gautom froze.
"Fuck."
